Google Android handset owners have had access to the new KitKat release, aka Android 4.4, for the better part of 2014. Now at along last KitKat is coming to the open-source Android x86 project, which enables android to run on regular x86 desktops and notebooks.

"The 4.4-r1 release is based on the Android 4.4.2 (KitKat-MR1 release)," the release notesstate. "We have fixed and added x86 specified code to let the system runs smoothly on x86 platforms, especially for tablets and netbooks."

The Knoppix distribution is the grand-daddy of all Linux-Live distributions, paving the way of the countless distributions that have followed. This past week Knoppix 7.4 was released

"Version 7.4.0 of KNOPPIX is based on the usual picks from Debian stable (wheezy) and newer Desktop packages from Debian/testing and Debian/unstable (jessie)," the release notes state. " It uses kernel 3.15.6 and xorg 7.7 (core 1.16.0) for supporting current computer hardware."

Of particular note with Knoppix 7.4 is experimental support for the latest compiz windows effects manager. Additionally the new release continues to evolve the talking menu system in Knoppix known as ADRIANE

"A.D.R.I.A.N.E. (Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment) is a talking menu system, which is supposed to make work and internet access easier for computer beginners, even if they have no sight contact to the computers monitor. "

3) Debian Desktop

Debian developers are racing to complete and release the next major milestone release, known as Jesse. One of the decisions made during the development process was to use the Xfce desktop environment instead of the typical GNOME desktop.

"Suffice to say that the Debian GNOME team participants have never been thrilled about how the whole issue is being handled, and we’ve been wondering if we should be doing anything about it, or just move along and enjoy the smaller amount of bug reports against GNOME packages that this change would bring us, if it finally made it through to the final release," Debian developer, Jordi Mallach blogged.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at LinuxPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist